Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)

I fell in love with Ava Gardner some time ago, I know she was a little trouble maker, broke hearts as well as furniture, but I adore her,  it happened one afternoon when I was younger and Barefoot Contessa came on the television, I was like oh my isn't she feisty with her dark locks and red lips, who doesn't like shoes and wears shawls and men fall at her feet and she can dance, I want to be her. Since then I like drawing a line on my chin to pretend I am like her (not really?). Oh and when I was about eight I started a fan collection, because I wanted to be a flamenco dancer I think I got to about three fans, need to start that again. 

So I was rather chuffed when I found Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951), which is based on the Flying Dutchman a legend about a cursed ghost ship that cannot make port. The film stars James Mason as Hendrick van der Zee the love stricken 16th century Dutchman who is to wander eternally on the seas for killing his wife, who he believed was unfaithful to him (turns out she wasn't, darn it). Hendrick is permitted six months a shore every seven years to find a woman that is willing to die for him, only then can he be set free.  Lucky for Hendrick, it turns out that Pandora Reynolds, played by Ava, an American nightclub singer who has men destructing their most prized possessions and themselves takes quite a fancy to him. 

The cinematography is by the extremely talented Jack Cardiff who worked with Powell & Pressburger, honestly the technicolour is just beautiful, I wished real life looked like this. He worked on some of my favourite films; The Red Shoes and Barefoot Contessa. The film is suppose to be set in the 1930s but even me with my limited knowledge of dating clothes can tell its pure 1950s, but it still does not detract from the films beauty. Plus it is set in Spain, which was Ava's second home, and has matador's in it, she loved her a good matador. Please do excuse the excessive screen capping aha. 

The guy above, Marius Goring has also starred in The Red Shoes, he falls for Pandora, but when he confesses his undying love and she is indifferent to him, he poisons himself... that's just not going to get her is it?

On the beach in a gown, enough said. 

Toasting marsh mallows never looked so glamourous. 

Ava does the Grecian look so well. 

Cape spot!

This is purely for Dad's Army fans, I know there's at least one of you.

Now call me blasphemous but I do not get James Mason, yeah he has a distinctive voice, good hair, but I never find him charismatic or interesting, maybe I haven't seen him play the right role?

Now nerdy professor chic is just delightful. 

Matador o'clock! Mario Cabré plays one of Pandora's suitors; turns out he was actually a bull fighter and him and Ava supposedly got involved during the filming of this. 

Someone ran off with the sandwiches, but seriously I need all the women's clothes.

How divine is this star suit?

This is how you cry beautifully.

The veil and dress are just stunning.

I want this apartment.

Beautiful embroidery, but camel toe?

I think this hat is very Tudoresque, Pandora's homage to Anne Boleyn perhaps, or a signal of her past life? 

Yeah you should definitely watch it even though I have shown you half the film...

Screen caps by me, for once.